Help me understand
by fukuji mihoko
Summary: Cis doesn't understand the concept of 'love' at all. Does it involve chocolate? And what's this about wanting somebody else to be happy? Luckily, the has-been King of Heroes is there to explain it to her. :Keith/Cis fluff:


**Help me understand**

* * *

><p>Humans were so bizarre.<p>

Cis watched with wide, unblinking eyes. A couple- one male unit, one female- were stood before her, though they ignored the young android completely. That was probably because they hadn't realized she was there; so silent she could have been a statue.

The emotions on the faces of the male and female unit denoted happiness; wide smiles, wider eyes. It could have been 'surprise' they were experiencing instead of happiness, or perhaps some strange mix of the two, but happiness was the predominant emotion by about 40%.

Humans were easy to read; just like flipping through a book, absorbing the information- bleep, bleep, bleep, all of it saving itself in Cis' memory cells and backing itself up multiple times.

That didn't mean humans were easy to understand, however.

Other than wide smiles and flushed faces, what was 'happiness'?

Other than open eyes and parted lips, what was 'surprise'?

Were 'emotions' just superficial changes, like removing and replacing items of clothing? Cis was not sure, for she, despite her advanced technology, abilities of comprehension and vast knowledge on a wide range of subjects, had not been taught the finer points of emotion, other than they 'did not concern her.'

That answer was not satisfactory.

Hadn't she, as a humanoid android, been built to surpass the human units that her features resembled? Hadn't she been designed to be stronger, smarter and infinitely more capable than them? Why, then, had she not been installed with real 'emotions'? If Cis did not posses the one thing all humans did, then how could she claim she had surpassed them? Rather, she was inferior to them.

She lacked something they all had.

You could not defeat your enemy without having a great understanding of them- and yet Cis was 99% sure she, despite her abilities to use operate firearms and utilise complex styles of combat, did not know anything about the human units that populated the planet Earth at all.

They were so unlike her.

It was Cis' job to discover just how vast the dissimilarities between herself and the human units were. Once she had stored enough knowledge inside her memory cells for future reference she would return to the Professor; but for now, she would sit on her park bench and observe.

The weather was warm, the stars sparkling in the sky. It was a pleasant night.

The male and female units were talking. Their voices were obscured somewhat by the ripples of the fountain in the background, but Cis could hear them perfectly.

"_A-all this time, and I never even realized… Why didn't you tell me earlier, you dummy?"_

"_A-ahaha, I don't know! I'm sorry… I was pretty stupid; b-but I didn't want you to be angry…"_

"_I'm angry _now _because you thought _**I **_would be angry when you confessed to me! Do I seem like that sort of girl to you? Urgh, get a clue!"_

"_M-mei-chan, I'm sorry!"_

"_Yeah, you will be!"_

"_I-I wish I'd told you sooner… If I knew you felt the same way then I, I… I-I was such an idiot for not telling you! I-I'll tell you now, though; to your face! I love you!"_

"_I love you too, you idiot!"_

Their exchange was almost incomprehensible. Cis heard the words, yet she did not understand what they meant. The words of the female unit were harsh, almost angry- yet if it was 'anger' she was suffering from, then why was she smiling?

A viscous fluid began to leak from the corner of the male unit's eyes. Tears, Cis thought; a secretion from glands that lubricated the eyes. Tears were also a base response to great unhappiness.

Why was the male unit crying? Cis did not have tear ducts, so surely it was a pointless pastime to cry; it did not seem to achieve a great deal. It was a useless function human units possessed, much like the appendix or the little toe; very impractical. Surely there were simpler ways to clean the eyes.

If crying was so useless, then why did so many humans pursue it as a hobby?

Cis was so lost in this confused process of data that she failed to realize another human unit had taken a seat beside her. It was a grave error she hoped never to repeat, for the Professor would surely scold her for being inattentive and careless.

"Hey," said the blond male; a person Cis recognized, for he had sat by her side yesterday as well. He had offered her a red fruit known as an 'apple', even though she could not eat, and so she had crushed it. "What are you doing?"

Cis stared into the distance, unmoving.

"Observing."

"Observing? Like, bird watching or something? I like to do that sometimes too, haha~ It's peaceful!~"

"No," Cis replied, voice deadpan. "Human units."

An expression that could be described as 'surprise' flitted across the male unit's face. He turned his head, following Cis' line of sight- and then he gave an odd 'meep!' sound at what his ocular nerves had processed.

"H-hey! You can't observe people when they're doing _that_."

Cis did not understand why. The human units appeared to be partaking in some courtship activity; lips pressed together, fingers coiling in each other's hair. This must have been a stage involved in 'reproduction'; the process of creating more humans. Humans were inferior to androids and they could not be mass produced from scrap metal; they could only be created with two humans. Cis had learnt that much from the books she had read during her creation. The data was saved and backed up multiple times in her memory cells.

Reproduction was a natural function in the human species, so why could Cis not observe it? Once more, humans confused her.

Cis did not voice the processes of her cells. Instead, she said- utilising those useful stock phrases she had learnt- "I am sorry."

"Y-you should be," said the blond male, looking distinctly uncomfortable, as he stared down at his shoes. His face was light pink; a human function known as 'blushing'. "It's personal when two people act like that; w-watching them makes me feel uncomfortable, hahaha… W-why don't we go somewhere else?"

"I have no objections."

In truth, Cis wanted to observe the two human units for longer, the blond male's response had made her aware it was perhaps inappropriate to stare. She did not want to catch the attention of the humans by acting in a strange manner- although she did not yet understand how humans conducted themselves at all, so abnormal behaviour was difficult to avoid.

When Cis was in the company of human units, she felt… almost lost.

It was an unpleasant sensation and she did not like it.

Cis and the blond male moved away from the bench, retreating to the opposite side of the fountain. There were no people on this side, for it was dark and most human units returned to their places of residence when it was dark. Humans were afraid of the darkness but Cis did not understand why. Her eyesight was not impacted by a lack of light, though that was not the only reason for her lack of fear in regards to the dark. It was logical to assume, if fewer people populated the streets at night, there were fewer chances of coming to harm.

Then again, human beings did not seem to be very logical.

Tears, kissing and appendixes were Cis' evidence to support that statement.

"Ah… that's better," said the blond man, smiling. "I was worried they might notice and I'd get called a… a…" He gulped. "A-a _pervert_."

Cis nodded. "I understand."

"You seemed fine watching them, though…" The male frowned slightly. His voice dropped to a whisper. "Ah… I wonder why…?"

"I was curious. If kissing is a personal activity then why is it occurring outside?"

The male unit laughed 'nervously'. He rubbed the back of his head. "You heard me?"

"Yes."

"Ahaha, well, um… Love is special, you know? Sometimes it just jumps up at you out of nowhere, completely out of nowhere- like, 'whoa! What was that?' And then you can't help but do some… strange… stuff… A-ahaha, why am I telling you this, anyway?"

"You are responding to a question."

"I-I feel a little strange about it, though!"

"Are the pair of human units kissing because they are in love?" asked Cis.

She had heard of that emotion before, but she knew so little of it she did not know what it entailed. She understand the basics of Valentine's Day; girls giving chocolates to those they 'cared for', but the process of kissing did not seem to involve the exchange of chocolate.

Love…?

It did not register in Cis' brain.

Cis wanted to understand, though. She had been programmed with a thirst for knowledge that could not be sated merely by reading books the Professor had allowed her to look upon. She needed to learn; she thirsted for more knowledge- but the longer she regarded the human units that walked past her, the more confused she became.

The blond man looked at her in shock once more. It appeared to be his favored expression.

"You _do _know what love is, don't you?"

Cis shook her head slowly, hair blowing about her in the wind.

"I do not understand."

An expression of great sadness passed across the man's face. Cis did not understand why. Why did humans pull so many odd faces? Why did they experience so many emotions? Why, if emotions governed their daily lives, could she not experience any of them for herself?

"Are you saying you've never… been in love before?" asked the man, his voice quiet. Cis supposed he was quiet because the subject matter was delicate and he did not wish to be overheard, though altering the volume of his voice was quite pointless as there was nobody who could listen to him save the male and female units on the other side of the fountain, and they were quite engaged at that moment in time.

"No. I have never experienced the emotion of love."

Cis had never experienced an emotion at all.

She wanted to change that.

She did not want to be inferior to human beings.

Data, data; processing data…

Cis turned about to look at the blond male unit, her expression unchanging. Her skin looked paler than usual under the milky moonlight.

"Can you explain the concept of love to me?"

The male's face turned a darker pink still. It was an interesting response. Was 'love' a taboo subject? If it was, then why had the couple earlier been so unabashedly kissing? What was the function of kissing other than being a perquisite to reproduction?

Too many questions ran through Cis' cells. They made her feel quite weary.

"W-well, love it's… I-it's something that's difficult to explain!" the man finally exclaimed, looking quite lost.

"Does it involve the giving and receiving of chocolate?"

The male looked at Cis for a few moments, blinking in surprise… before, for a reason Cis could not fathom, he began to smile. The smile soon turned into light laughter.

The male was… happy?

The previous day when Cis had observed him his lips had been drawn in a frown, his brows furrowed. The male looked 30% more aesthetically pleasing whilst he was smiling.

That was an observation of little worth. Why had Cis' memory cells registered it as important?

"What is so amusing?"

"Ah, nothing- it's nothing. I'm sorry if I'm being insensitive… But…" The man's smile widened slightly, as he gently- very gently- patted Cis on the head. "I didn't realize you were so innocent, that's all… It's…" His face was light pink, though he continued to speak. "It's cute."

"Cute?"

"Y-you're cute… I-I mean, um…" The man moved his hand away from Cis' head, his smile replaced with worry once more. "I-I'm sorry, and I'm sorry again- from the bottom of my heart! I wasn't teasing you; I was being honest… Man." He sighed. "I bet you think I'm weird now…"

"No. I believe you are a fully functioning human unit."

The man laughed weakly. "Thanks, but some people would say otherwise… Blu- ahh, Karina, I mean Karina, is always saying I have a screw loose, ahaha!"

"Humans do not have screws."

"Of course not." He smiled. "You have an interesting sense of humor. I didn't realize it before, but… you're really something. Talking to you really cheered me up! Ahh, you know… when I spend time with you I… I… ahhh, well, i-it doesn't matter!" He looked away, embarrassed; hiding behind his hair.

Cis became curious. She wanted to view his expression. How could she process his emotions if she could read the subtle shifts of his facial features? And… did he say that she 'cheered him up'? Did some process Cis possessed have the ability to make humans smile?

Why did he experience the emotion of 'happiness' around her? She was not attempting to make him feel such emotions, so… was it possible to influence the mood of humans without meaning to? That would create a very perilous situation, surely, if emotions were so easily manipulated.

Perhaps that was why Cis could not experience them for herself; but, regardless of the danger, she wanted to learn.

Humans were… confusing.

They made Cis feel confused.

For the first time in her life, Cis was incredibly unsure of herself.

"Look at me. I want to see your face," said Cis, her fingertips moving under the man's chin. She tilted his head up slowly; her eyes wide and searching, beep, beep, beep, as she observed his facial features.

His face grew redder and redder.

"I still do not understand love," said Cis, scanning the man with great curiosity. Perhaps there was a clue pertaining to the emotion's elusive nature on his facial features? "Can you explain it to me again, please?"

"W-well, let's see… L-love is… Love is…" The man stuttered; unable to formulate a full sentence.

Was Cis' proximity to his face dismissing his vocal capacity? How interesting humans were to study; how varied their responses were. What, then, would his response be if Cis leant in even closer?

His eyes grew a little wider.

"A-ah, love… L-love is when you want another person to be happy! It's when you enjoy talking to them and spending time in their company and you want to be by their side even though it's not entirely logical and you don't know why! I-I'm sorry if that's corny… I-I don't know how else to phrase it, or if it's even the right answer, ahaha… but it's… what I think."

Cis nodded, her eyes staring into the man's. Their proximity was very close now. Cis had never been sat so closely beside another person before. It was… strange.

Everything about Cis felt very strange.

Something sparked gently inside her stomach- and for a few moments, Cis wondered whether she was malfunctioning.

Cis… had also felt a brief spark of an undefined _something _when she saw that human smile. Did that mean she wanted his human to be 'happy'? She was not aware she was capable of experiencing such strange whimsies, but… she did not want to see this human unhappy.

He was the only human who had noticed her, sat quietly on her park bench like a statue. Did that make this human special?

"You gave me an apple yesterday," said Cis. "Did you want to make me happy?"

The man looked slightly abashed.

Then, he said, very softly, "…y-yeah. I think I did."

Cis nodded. "And I believe your appearance is improved when you smile. Do I want you to be happy, I wonder…?"

"H-hey, y-you… y-you…" The man stuttered helplessly; but the sight of him lost for words only made Cis feel somewhat endeared.

"There is one more thing I do not understand," said Cis. "What is the purpose of a 'kiss'?"

"W-well it's, it's… I-it's difficult to explain…"

Cis leant in a little closer, eyes wide and searching; cells sparking, clicking; processing, processing, _beep, beep, beep…_

"Show me, please. I want to understand."

The man moved forwards; a small, silly smile spreading across his face. His eyelashes were very long.

When their lips met, something inside Cis began to shiver.

* * *

><p>This was it, thought Keith with a bright smile. It was warm enough to rival the real sun.<p>

This was _it_.

True love.

When he thought of the funny silver haired girl his whole body felt lighter; more energetic. She was so… strange; but quirky, too- naïve and innocent, strangely deadpan, but she made him laugh, and she had _kissed him_, too.

He had a felt a spark when their lips met, and he was sure she must have felt it, too.

When he fought off that creepy robot the day before the thought of _her_ had made him pull through; giving him strength he didn't know he had.

He would have crossed mountains for her, swam across lakes and gone to the North Pole; truly, he would have done any stupid thing she desired, if only he could see her smile.

All those crazy expeditions would have to wait, though. First came the flowers.

First flowers.

He didn't want to alarm her by being too forward, so flowers were a nice starting point.

It dawned on Keith that he didn't know her name, and she didn't know his, but he could rectify that. The flowers, picked out carefully with Pao-Lin (who, contrary to her tomboyish demeanour, knew a lot about the language of flowers) said everything Keith wanted to say to the girl, but sort of better, with less embarrassment or looking stupid- so that would be fine, she'd understand…

The roses went with her red headband, too.

Ahh, she was so cute!~ Keith had been so overcome with joy at his success he'd pulled Pao-Lin, Karina and Nathan into a group hug the other day- and although Karina complained and whined that he'd mess up her hair, he knew she was happy for him, too.

Karina was a funny girl like that.

Keith sped up his jog. He wanted to see her as soon as possible. He knew there was a good chance she wouldn't be there yet. It was six in the morning, reds and yellows spreading across the sky like water colors, and very few people were awake at such an ungodly hour- but maybe Keith could surprise her with the flowers if he arrived there first.

It wasn't long before the fountain was in sight; and then, the bench. It was empty, like he thought it would be, but-

No.

It wasn't empty…

He was wrong.

A heart-shaped box met him on the bench; wrapped in pink with a red bow. The item was obviously shop bought, but Valentine's Day had passed a long time ago- surely no shops would still sell such chocolate? Maybe that explained why it was so dented and battered, then…

There was a note attached to it.

Feeling a little guilty (what if it belonged to somebody else?), Keith picked it up and turned it over-

And then his cheeks began to turn red.

_To the blond male this concerns,_

_Thank you for teaching me about human customs. They are complex, but I am sure I will be able to understand them in time, if you would continue to teach me. I am going to give you these chocolates because I want you to smile and be happy. Please like them._

_Love,  
>Cis.<em>

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><p><strong>an: **Written because I really, really liked Cis. She's so cute, and her fight scene was pretty frickin awesome. Also, being a huge vocaloid fan, I have a great love for human/android interactions and all the adorableness that can be made from it ^_^;; Writing android characters can be a little difficult though, especially an emotionless one like Cis, so I hope I did okay and made it mechanical/monotonous enough without being boring to read :  
>Kind of based on the song 'Kokoro' by Toraboluta (sung by Kagamine Rin) I guess XD;<p>

Oh, and Cis isn't on the character drop down menu? What is this madness? O: Y u not want desudesu androidgirl love ff . net?

R&R, please? I want to know what you thought ^_^;;

**~renahhchen xoxoxoxo**


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